GET THE MILK. THE WHOLE MILK. NOTHING BUT THE MILK.
For some reason, milk has been under attack. Some critics are saying don’t drink milk, it’s unneeded, unnatural, and bad for you. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Thousands of scientific studies have documented the benefits of drinking milk. Don’t be misled by alarming headlines or passionate critics. Get the full story about milk. Nutrition is a science, not a point of view. See what the real experts are saying about milk, one of the most naturally nutrient-rich beverages you can find.
Some are avoiding dairy milk or replacing it with an alternative. But it’s tough to make up for the nutrients that real milk provides, which is particularly troubling for growing kids, who will likely suffer the most.
Learn the facts.
THIS IS HERESY
No cow needed: Oat and soy can be called milk, FDA proposes.
Soy, oat, almond and other drinks that bill themselves as “milk” can keep using the name, according to draft federal rules released Wednesday.
Food and Drug Administration officials issued guidance that says plant-based beverages don’t pretend to be from dairy animals, and that U.S. consumers aren’t confused by the difference.
Dairy producers for years have called for the FDA to crack down on plant-based drinks and other products that they say masquerade as animal-based foods and cloud the real meaning of “milk.”
Under the draft rules, the agency recommends that beverage makers label their products clearly by the plant source of the food, such as “soy ‘milk’” or “cashew ‘milk.’”
The rules also call for voluntary extra nutrition labels that note when the drinks have lower levels of nutrients than dairy milk, such as calcium, magnesium or vitamin D. They would continue to allow labels that note when plant-based drinks have higher levels. Fortified soy ‘milk’ is the only plant-based food included in the dairy category of U.S. dietary guidelines because of its nutrient levels.
The new guidelines are aimed at providing consumers clear nutrition information, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement. The draft rules do not apply to nondairy products other than beverages, such as yogurt.
The National Milk Producers Federation, an industry trade group, applauded the call for extra nutrition information on drink labels, but said they rejected the FDA’s conclusion that plant-based drinks can be called milk because it’s a “common and usual name.”
The Good Food Institute, a group that advocates for plant-based products, objected to the extra labeling in a statement, saying “the guidance misguidedly admonishes companies to make a direct comparison” with cow’s milk, even though key nutrients are already required to be listed.
In recent years, the number of plant-based drinks has exploded to include dozens of varieties, including cashew, coconut, hemp and quinoa-based beverages. Although the drinks are made from the liquid extracts of plant materials, they are frequently labeled, and described, as “milks.”
In the U.S., almond ‘milk’ is the most popular variety, but oat ‘milk’ has been seeing the fastest growth. Still, nondairy sales are dwarfed by traditional milk. Sales of refrigerated cow’s milk grew to $12.3 billion in the 52 weeks ending Jan. 28, compared to $2.5 billion for nondairy ‘milk,’ according to NielsenIQ.
In the past, lawmakers in dairy states have tried to get bills passed that would require the FDA to enforce a federal standard that defines “milk” as the product of “milking one or more healthy cows.”
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